Beyond StarClan
by AE-Kitten
Summary: When a group of merciless rogues threatens ThunderClan, and no other Clan will help, it is up to a young apprentice to save the Clan she loves. But without StarClan, how will she do it?
1. Allegiances

ALLEGIANCES

T H U N D E R C L A N

**L****EA****DER  
****Lightstar**- cream colored tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**DEPUTY  
****Badgerclaw**- white she-cat with black paws, ears, and black markingson her face  
**Apprentice, Russetpaw**

**MEDICINE CAT  
****Reedwhisker**- black tom with green eyes

**WARRIORS **(toms and she-cats without kits)

** Brambleheart – **handsome brown and black striped tom with a white underbelly, throat, and paws, and amber eyes  
** Apprentice, Riverpaw**

** Barkfur – **handsome brown and tan tom with green eyes

** Berryfoot**- brown tabby she-cat with white flecks and cream colored paws and amber eyes

** Breezeheart**- dark tom with light gray stripes

** Willowbranch**- pale tabby she-cat with dark black stripes, white a completely white underbelly  
** Apprentice, Rainpaw**

** Foxtail**- dark ginger tom  
** Apprentice, Scarletpaw**

** Cinnamonpelt**- pale ginger she-cat

** Bluestreak**- gray she-cat with lighter gray stripes

** Swiftheart**- smoky black she-cat with green eyes

** Pebblepelt**- gray tabby tom, speckled with darker flecks of gray  
** Apprentice, Amberpaw**

** Birchleaf**- golden brown tom

** Owlwing**- brown tabby tom with dark brown stripes and amber eyes

** Frostpool**- white tabby she-cat with icy blue eyes  
** Apprentice, Flamepaw**

** Morningsun- **golden brown tabby she-cat

**APPRENTICES **(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

** Riverpaw**- gray tabby she-cat with startling light blue eyes and white paws

** Rainpaw**- gray tabby she-cat with light gray stripes and amber eyes

** Russetp****aw**- dark ginger tom

** Amberpaw**- pale ginger she-cat

** Scarletpaw**- dark ginger she-cat with amber eyes

** Flamepaw**- ginger tom with flame-colored pelt and amber eyes

**QUEENS **(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

** Dapplepelt**- tortoiseshell and white tabby she-cat with green eyes (mate is Birchleaf)

**KITS **(less than six moons, not old enough to be apprentices)

NONE

**ELDERS **(former warriors and queens, now retired)

** Blacktail**- white she-cat with black tail

S H A D O W C L A N

**LEADER  
****Fernstar – **tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

**DEPUTY  
****Runningstripe – **swift gray tom with white paws and blue eyes

**MEDICINE CAT  
****Thornspot – **brown tom with two tan paws and amber eyes  
**Apprentice, Nightpaw**

**WARRIORS **(toms and she-cats without kits)

** Snaketail – **brown and white tom with a long, snake-like tail and amber eyes  
**Apprentice, Frostpaw**

** Spottedear – **tan she-cat with brown spots on her ear and blue eyes

** Featherstorm – **white and tan she-cat with green eyes

** Emberclaw – **ginger tom with green eyes

** Ashcloud – **gray and white she-cat with green eyes  
**Apprentice,** **Redpaw**

** Rushpad**- small tabby brown tom  
**Apprentice, Barleypaw**

** Smallstone**- small tabby brown she-cat

** Mossfur – **pretty she-cat with a dappled pelt and blue eyes  
**Apprentice, Eaglepaw**

**APPRENTICES **(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

** Nightpaw – **black and brown tom with green eyes

** Barleypaw – **dusty brown tom with amber eyes

** Frostpaw – **white she-cat with gray stripes and amber eyes

** Redpaw – **reddish-brown tom with amber eyes

** Eaglepaw – **brown and white tom with amber eyes

**QUEENS **(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

** Brookpelt**** – **gray and brown she-cat with blue eyes (kits Ashkit, Longkit) (mate is Snaketail)

** Wingfeather – **ginger she-cat with blue eyes (kits Talonkit, Runningkit) (mate is Rushpad)

**KITS **(less than six moons, not old enough to be apprentices)

** Talonkit**- small ginger tom

** Running****kit**-small tabby brown she-cat with blue eyes

** Ashkit**- gray and brown tabby tom with blue eyes

** Longkit**- ginger and white she-cat with long tail like her father

**ELDERS **(former warriors and queens, now retired)

** Mangle**- white tome with mangled back paw

** Smalltail**- gray, long-furred she-cat with unusually small tail

W I N D C L A N

**LEADER  
****Timberstar**- dark brown tom

**DEPUTY  
****Snowbird**- pure white she-cat

**MEDICINE CAT  
Blueherb-** dark blue-gray she-cat with green eyes

**WARRIORS **(toms and she-cats without kits)

** Grayfeather – **gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

** Stumpytail**- brown tabby tom with a short tail due to a badger

** Tallfrost**- pure white she-cat with unusually long legs  
**Apprentice, Windpaw**

** Palestorm**- white tom with green eyes

** Duskstripe**- dark tabby tom

** Clawtail – **silver and white she-cat with blue eyes  
**Apprentice, Sandpaw**

**APPRENTICES **(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

** Windpaw – **golden tom with green eyes

** Sandpaw – **golden-brown tom with blue eyes

**QUEENS **(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

** Brindlepelt**- golden-brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes (mate is Duskstripe)

**KITS **(less than six moons, not old enough to be apprentices)

NONE

**ELDERS **(former warriors and queens, now retired)

** Patchpelt**- ginger and white striped she-cat

R I V E R C L A N

**LEADER  
****Whitestar – **handsome black tom with a white throat and amber eyes

**DEPUTY****  
Littleclaw – **black and white tom with green eyes

**MEDICINE CAT  
****Treeshadow – **white tom with black stripes and amber eyes

**WARRIORS **(toms and she-cats without kits)

** Pinewhisper**- golden-brown she-cat with dark green eyes

** Ashmask – **brown and black tom with blue eyes  
**Apprentice, Lilypaw**

** Mousetail – **dusty brown she-cat with green eyes

** Dark****step**- muscular, jet-black tom with gray paws

** Thunderstorm**- black tom with blue eyes  
**Apprentice, Rosepaw**

** Flowerclaw – **ginger and white she-cat with green eyes

**APPRENTICES **(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

** Rosepaw**- small, black she-cat

** Lilypaw**- cream-colored she-cat

**QUEENS **(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

** Thrushwing**- small brown tabby she-cat with lighter flecks of brown (mate is Darkstep)

** Petalblossom**- small brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes (kits Streamkit, Flowerkit) (mate is Thunderstorm)

**KITS**(less than six moons, not old enough to be apprentices)

** Streamkit**- black tabby tom with brown underbelly with blue eyes

** Flowerkit**- brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**ELDERS**(former warriors and queens, now retired)

** Weaselheart**- Grumpy brown tom

R O G U E S

**LEADER****Lash**- an almost entirely black tom except for a white patch around one eye

**FOLLOWERS**(cats who follow Lash because there is nowhere else for them to live or go)

**Deka****-** a long furred calico she-cat

**Jag****- **large, muscular brown tom

**Mitten**- long furred black and gray she-cat with a white underbelly, paws, and muzzle

**Jet**- pure black cat, Lash's brother

**Looking**- light gray tabby she-cat with white underbelly, paws, muzzle, and two white patches around both eyes

**Mango**- dark gray tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

**Sable**- pale ginger tom with amber eyes

**First Snow (Snow) **- unusually black spotted pale gray tom with black striped along his tail

**Shadi**- long furred black and gray she-cat with a white underbelly and paws, Mitten's sister


	2. Prologue

P R O L O G U E

_Stars glittered coldly on a barren land_, though there was no moon. At the top of one the hills in the moorland, dark shapes were moving, lining its crest, silhouetted against the dim light above. Their fur bristled against the cold as wind gusted from behind them. In the lead, a black cat peered out at the land that stretched out in front of him, and he felt joy when he saw the slight shimmer of a large lake.

The black cat cast his green eyes up at the sky. Unlike the cats that lived around the lake in front of him- though he had no idea they were there- the sight of the star filled heavens didn't fill him with hope or awe. He didn't understand- couldn't comprehend- that there was anything bigger than him. He thought _he_ was the greatest power. He was deluded. But his followers- the group of rogues he led- didn't need to know that.

He felt something soft brush his pelt, and he turned his head to see a calico she-cat staring out at the lake, her eyes shining. She tore her eyes away and looked at him. "This looks like such a good place to settle," she meowed. Then she hesitated. "You do think so, too, don't you, Lash?

But the black cat shook his head. "Maybe farther along," he meowed. "I don't like the looks of this moorland."

The calico nodded respectfully. "Shall I tell the rest of them?"

Again, Lash shook his head, but didn't clarify. Then he turned to another black cat that almost seemed a mirror image of him, save the white patch around one of Lash's eyes. "Jet," he ordered, "take two other cats with you and head that way." He flicked his tail to indicate the direction which was toward what looked like a forest, but he couldn't be sure in the dim light the stars were shedding. "Be back as fast as you can."

Jet nodded and called two cats over. Lash watched as Jet, Mango, and Sable raced towards the darker area, their bellies flat against the ground. Lash had said fast, so they were going as fast as they could.

Lash turned to face the twenty-eight cats left. Their murmuring immediately broke off, and Lash felt a glow of satisfaction. Even the four kits had stopped playing, and were gazing up at him in rapt attention.

"I believe that we may have at last found a home," he told the cats gathered around him. He saw their eyes light up. "But," he said, "we will only be going a little farther. I think we'll be living somewhere around this lake."

Every cat yowled with joy, and he couldn't help but take in their thin frames. His followers were no longer the lithe cats they had once been, rippling with muscle. Now their pelts hung from their frames; they looked nothing more than skeletons. Their eyes- no alight with the prospect of food and shelter- gleamed with hunger. Of course, Lash was still sleek and relatively well fed. Since he was their leader, he got more than the rest of them. But he felt no guilt.

The rogues broke away into groups to talk excitedly. He, on the other hand, turned back to watch the dark shapes of Jet, Mango, and Sable. He could no longer see them, so he contented himself by scanning the dark place they were heading; the forest. He sincerely hoped that place would be good for him and his followers. After all, one cannot be a leader of no cats.

The sky was turning gray when Jet's group finally appeared. They were trotting now, obviously worn out. Lash sat patiently on the crest of the hill, his eyes gleaming. The returning cats held their heads high, their body language already telling Lash that they had good news.

Jet reached Lash first, dipping his head in greeting. "Well?" Lash demanded.

"It's a good place," Jet meowed, but Lash could tell he was a bit hesitant. "There's lots of prey from what we smelled. But there is something…" Lash nearly missed the glance Jet and Mango shot at each other.

"Tell me."

"We smelled cats," Jet finally meowed. "There seemed to be a lot. Even in the moorland we smelled cats."

Lash said nothing, but his tail lashed back and forth. He closed his eyes, willing his anger not to take hold of him. He could hear Jet shuffled his paws uncomfortably. Finally, when he felt his annoyance subside, he opened his eyes again. Beyond Jet, he could see the first rays of light as the sun rose.

"Since when have we let other cats keep us from getting what we want?" he growled. "We settle here." In this group of rogues, Lash's word was law. They would stay here, enemies or not.


End file.
